Activist Sues Ultra Music Festival Over Accessibility

Juan Carlos Gil, an activist and Paralympic athlete with cerebral palsy, is suing Miami-based Ultra Music Festival, claiming the website and live events are inaccessible to visually impaired patrons and violates Title III of the Americans With Disabilities Act.  

– Ultra Music Festival

The suit, filed Oct. 13 against Ultra Enterprises Inc. in Florida Southern Court, is one of more than 70 suits against organizations offering public services and events, according to the Miami New Times.

Gil’s lawyer, Scott R. Dinin, told the paper that the suit “is not an indictment of Ultra whatsoever,” adding, “We recognize the great work that Ultra does to bring the community together. All we’re asking them to do is recognize (that) this is a very diverse population, to make all their offerings available to all people in that population.”

A spokesman for Ultra told Pollstar, “Ultra will not be making any comment or statement on this.”

The suit could be mostly a way to get the public conversation going, and it’s likely that Ultra was targeted as a major local festival rather than as anything specific.

Ultra recently announced that more than 1 million people attended its various events worldwide in 2017, with 45 different Ultra events across five continents.

Ultra Music Festival will celebrate its 20th anniversary March 23-25 at Bayfront Park in Miami.

In 2017 other markets visited by the main Ultra Music Festival included South Africa, Miami, Seoul, Singapore, Tokyo, and Shanghai.

The Miami installment had live headliners including Chase And Status, Major Lazer, Cypress Hill, Ice Cube, Justice and others. 

Pollstar box office reports from the various Ultras include Ultra Chile in 2015, which sold 12,796 tickets and had a lineup including Knife Party, Fedde Le Grand, DJ Snake and Alan Fitzpatrick.

Box office reports for the 2010 edition in Miami show 93,824 tickets sold March 26-27, grossing $7.16 million.

Artists included Tiesto, David Guetta, Groove Armada and a DJ set by Will.I.Am.

The 2011 Ultra Music Festival Brazil moved 10,038 tickets, according to Pollstar, grossing $790,066 with a lineup that included Swedish House Mafia, New Order, Duck Sauce, 2Many DJs and Death From Above.